Review: THE BODYBAG THE PANTO Is A Fabulous Fun Filled Night Of Incredibly Clever Pantomime That Is Definitely Not For Children

Thursday 7th December 2017, 8pm, Reginald Theatre, Seymour Centre

Trevor Ashley takes on another iconic personality in his latest collaboration with writer Phil Scott to present THE BODYBAG: THE PANTO. Delivering a hilarious take on the recent tour of groan worthy THE BODYGUARD THE MUSICAL, Ashley and an economical cast present a brilliant parody of the musical that should have been buried, covering everything from the current political climate, social issues and the stage musical's pop star leading lady Paulini.

Trevor Ashley is well known for his ability to take on the Divas, from Liza Minnelli and Shirley Bassey and his latest turn as Rachel Marinade, an amalgam of Whitney Houston and Paulini doesn't disappoint. For this risqué rendition, Rachel shares her house with her jealous sister Nikki Marinade (Markeesha McCoy), her staff of buff butler, butch security guard and camp cook, all covered by Heath Keating, and her charismatic child Robert Christian/Bobbi Christina (Nicholas Craddock). As the reality tv competition star receives sinister 'fan mail' and having lost her licence in a bribery and fraud scandal, Marinade engages the services of the brooding hunky Uber Driver and ex ASIO officer Tank Charmer (Gus Murray) and of course a love, or at least lust, story evolves amid the sibling rivalry, challenges of motherhood and addiction to the limelight.

With adaptations of popular musical theatre numbers with new lyrics by Ashley and Scott and choreography by Cameron Mitchell, this is a roar with laughter experience that will do well at banishing the bad memories of the stilted main stage musical from which it draws its inspiration. Whilst the sound design was somewhat heavy handed for the small space of the Reginald Theatre the rest of the production is brilliant. Angie White's costumes and the sometimes delayed delivery help reinforce the work as a pantomime which usually have shorter rehearsal periods and are somewhat 'live and loose', reacting to the challenges that arise on the night like heckling audience members and rogue wigs.

McCoy adds some brilliant vocals to the mix with a sassiness that ensures that Nikki is seen as confident and competitive. Keating delivers the ab-riddled eye candy that featured so heavily in THE BODYGUARD with an adaptability that has him from barely clad backup dancer to the household staff and the mysterious stalker who is given his own hilarious solo. Murray plays up wooden bodyguard as a parody of Kip Gamblin's turn as Frank Farmer with off key vocals adding to the impression that Charmer is somewhat incompetent at anything more than filling a suit. Of the supporting cast it is youngster Nicholas Craddock as Robert/Bobbi who threatens to steal the show from Ashley. Craddock presents the flamboyant 10 year old with a confident flair and a delicious deadpan delivery of Ashley and Scott's brilliant comic lines and a nuanced performance that sees him absentmindedly twirling Bobbi Christina's long locks.

As always, Ashley is deliciously over the top in a parade of fabulous frocks, including a replica of the figure hugging gold dress that helped catapult Paulini into the headlines. In true pantomime fashion he breaks the fourth wall to engage the audience including encouraging the audience to cry out when the villain is spotted with something much more grown up that the usual "He's behind you". He delivers a brilliant blend of diva and bitchy queen in both his physicality and his expression whilst dropping barbs aimed at the political climate like the plebiscite, safe schools and the sexual assault scandals that are rocking the entertainment industry.

For anyone who loves Trevor Ashley's work THE BODYBAG: THE PANTO is a must see. With Ashley and Scott's fabulous wit and creativity, this is a brilliantly inventive piece of entertainment for musical theatre fans, social aware audiences and those that don't mind a bit of smut.

THE BODYBAG: THE PANTO

Seymour Centre

6 - 20 December 2017

Photo Credit: John McRae